Rookies on top
LPGA Tour rookies Jin Young Ko and Emma Talley are at the top of the leaderboard through two rounds of the ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open, and despite their first-year status on Tour, both Ko and Talley are looking comfortable in their positions.
Ko is already a winner on the LPGA Tour, having captured the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship a year ago, plus notching two other top-20 finishes. She took up full-time LPGA Tour membership this season.
Ko leads by three over Talley after a 3-under-par 69 on Friday. She started her day with three-straight birdies and was 4-under through five holes. She made back-to-back bogeys on No’s 11 and 12 to fall back slightly.
She said she had two keys to her round today.
“One key is my thinking and one other key is my putting,” said Ko.
The 22-year-old also held the 36-hole lead when she went on to win the LPGA KEB HanaBank Championship. In fact, she led that championship wire-to-wire, and said she would lean on that experience moving through the weekend in Australia.
Talley, meanwhile, is coming off a solid Epson Tour campaign and is showing promise in the early days of her rookie campaign on the LPGA Tour, having made the cut at the first event of the season.
Talley won on the Epson Tour a year ago but this is the first time she’s been close to the lead on the LPGA Tour – sitting just three shots back of Ko at 7-under par through two rounds.
The 23-year-old made just one bogey Friday en route to a 3-under-par 69. She admitted her swing was “so messed” on Sunday but got onto FaceTime with her coach back in the U.S. and managed to get things sorted in time for this week’s event.
“Yesterday my short game was unbelievable and I kind of kept it going all day. Today I hit the ball really well and my driver was back to normal today and my irons were really good,” Talley said of her second round. “I actually missed a few putts around today but that’s okay, I’m just going to stay patient and hopefully tomorrow they’ll sink.”
Jang looking to repeat
Ha Na Jang captured last year’s ISPS Handa Women’s Australian Open in the most dramatic of fashions, making an eagle and three birdies in her final six holes.
Although she’s seven shots back of the lead heading into the weekend, she knows she’s not out of it as she looks to repeat in her first event of the 2018 LPGA Tour season.
“Three under is a really good score on this golf course,” she said. “I have chances… two more days. That’s perfect.”
Jang shot an even-par 72 on Thursday and admitted she needed more birdies Friday, which she was able to do after a 3-under-par 69.
“I had a bit more pressure, but I just stayed patient every hole and made par, made par and then got a birdie when I could. I made three birdies today, and bogey-free which was perfect,” she said.
Yoo makes coaching change
Sun Young Yoo is going back to what works.
Yoo, who is at 6-under through two rounds at the ISPS Women’s Australian Open, said Friday she’s gone back to the coach – Andrew Park – she was using when she won the 2012 ANA Inspiration, her lone major title.
“I had some bad years the last couple of years, but everybody goes through ups and downs. My game started coming back again, so I’m feeling pretty good and I’m back with my old coach again, so I’m very confident and excited,” she said.
“I knew I had to go back and fix a couple of things, and making major changes, just a little bit on little things, so I’m feeling pretty good.”
Yoo shot a 2-under-par 70 on Friday and is tied for third with Jiyai Shin.
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